On the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Traditional Procession to the Mass Burial Site of Innocent Victims of Repression Takes Place in the Kostanay Diocese

August 28, 2026. On the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, following the Liturgy at the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Tobyl, the traditional procession with the Cross took place to the mass burial site of clergy, monastics and laypeople who were subjected to repression and executed in 1937–1938. The burial site is located near the village of Novoselovka.

The procession, held with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Temporary Administrator of the Kostanay and Rudny Diocese, was attended by Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha), Acting Secretary of the Kostanay Diocese; diocesan clergy; and numerous faithful.

Upon arriving at the burial site of those who suffered for the faith of Christ, Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha) celebrated a memorial litia for political prisoners and victims of repression in the twentieth century.

Priest Andrei Krutin, Rector of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Zatobolsk, spoke about the history of the repressions of 1937–1938, thanked the faithful for their labor of prayer, and emphasized the importance of preserving the memory of those who suffered for their faith.